Los Angeles Chapter
A blog for and by a community of professionals
Archive for the ‘President’s Message’ Category
January 20th, 2012
By Michael Spindler, CPA
And so it begins! Yes, February is here and the audit and tax busy seasons have begun. And we all know, it gets worse from here on out before it gets better. February only gives way to “March madness.” No, not the NCAA basketball tournament, but the pressures of increased work as filing deadlines loom ever larger and closer. You may notice that our chapter has fewer meetings this time of year as many of our discussion groups and technical committees go dark. We know you’re all too busy. So, courtesy of WebMD, I thought I would share a few tips on how to deal with the stress of the season:
Read the rest of this entry »
View Comments | Link/Bookmark/Share
October 3rd, 2011
By Michael Spindler, CPA
I was on my way to the CalCPA Board of Directors private club at an undisclosed location in my CalCPA-issued Mercedes. My driver provided me with the morning papers and a bottle of cold Evian water. He kindly notified me that he was going to have to make some aggressive diversionary maneuvers due to the paparazzi and the CPA groupies that had formed around the club. The private hotline in the back seat rang, which could mean only one thing: CalCPA Chair Ed Jordan was calling with an accounting crisis. Surely, life or death accounting matters were to be discussed—lives were at stake. I answered the phone with some trepidation. “Mike,” our leader said, “I forgot my swim goggles; what am I going to do?” I informed him that the club would surely have a supply of whatever he needed.
Read the rest of this entry »
View Comments | Link/Bookmark/Share
July 27th, 2011
By Michael Spindler, CPA
A long time ago, an old friend of mine transferred from the Toronto office of Arthur Andersen to its Brisbane, Australia, office. On her way, she decided to take some vacation time and travel through Southeast Asia. While visiting the jungle regions of Nepal, she met a local tour guide—and fell in love. I, along with a small group of adventurous travelers from the far reaches of the globe, visited the happy couple in Kathmandu and attended their Buddhist wedding ceremony at the 2,000-year-old Swayambhunath Stupa, also known as the Monkey Temple. The hill was filled with wild monkeys that would occasionally attack members of our party for no apparent reason. (This turned out to be good preparation for the children I was to have later in life!)
Read the rest of this entry »
View Comments | Link/Bookmark/Share
June 27th, 2011
By Michael Spindler, CPA
The decisions of our government and the public policies it implements greatly impact our professional and personal lives. This year alone California lawmakers introduced 2,323 bills, not counting the hundreds of regulations proposed by various state agencies. Furthermore, lawmakers are looking for every loose penny to fill a $10 billion structural deficit.
Read the rest of this entry »
View Comments | Link/Bookmark/Share
June 2nd, 2011
By Michael Spindler, CPA
This is the story of William D. Collins, a World War II veteran who majored in accounting at USC, graduated near the top of his class and quickly passed the CPA Exam following graduation. As a result of his academic achievements, he had on-campus interviews with many of the most prestigious accounting firms in Los Angeles. William seemed to have everything going for him and should have been well on his way to a successful career in accounting. There were only two problems—William was African-American. And it was the late 1950s.
Read the rest of this entry »
View Comments | Link/Bookmark/Share
May 4th, 2011
By Michael Spindler, CPA
These are turbulent times, and the past couple of years have been a time of transition for many in our profession. The economic downturn has led many accounting professionals to take different paths than they originally planned.
During these challenges, and, indeed, for more than 100 years, CalCPA has been the rock that practitioners can cling to. It is the place where we can establish, build and nurture the professional relationships that help us weather an economic downturn. Just attend our member mixers and other events. CalCPA is the place to go to hone our skills, making us more valuable to our employers and the marketplace. Just attend our training courses, technical committees and membership section meetings. CalCPA is the place to develop relationships with legislators who assist us in navigating the regulatory issues impacting our practice. Just contribute to CPA-PAC and join us for our annual CPA Day at the Capitol each January.
Read the rest of this entry »
View Comments | Link/Bookmark/Share
March 29th, 2011
By Gayle M. Whittemore, CPA
Spring is in the air, and with it comes new growth and beginnings. To those of us in public accounting, I hope the busy season was robust and prosperous. To all of us, I hope we can now find the time to appreciate and be grateful, savor the good moments and look forward to the future.
Read the rest of this entry »
View Comments | Link/Bookmark/Share
March 9th, 2011
By Gayle M. Whittemore, CPA
I had an interesting experience last week when I met a sole practitioner who had participated in an A-133 auditing class that I teach through the CalCPA Education Foundation. As you know, the Education Foundation is a great resource for information for CalCPA members and nonmembers alike. What struck me was the fact that this man became a CPA at the tender age of 42. For those of us who remember our furtive and fleeting youth, the days and nights of cramming for the CPA Exam were done for the most part in our 20s. I asked him why he waited for so long to become a CPA and his response was, “I was a late bloomer.”
Read the rest of this entry »
View Comments | Link/Bookmark/Share
February 9th, 2011
By Gayle M. Whittemore, CPA
We live in a world of uncertainty: Economic uncertainty, political uncertainty (Egypt, Iraq, Afghanistan and others), professional uncertainty and personal uncertainty—what does the future hold of our children? How will our family, friends and neighbors make ends meet and rally to the new demands placed on us all?.
Read the rest of this entry »
View Comments | Link/Bookmark/Share
November 30th, 2010
By Gayle M. Whittemore, CPA
Who among us has fallen victim to that insidious scam that kicks off in October and demands FBI attention?
Identity theft? No, much, much worse than that: Getting suckered by your 10-year-old into buying enough wrapping paper and cookie dough to cover the Pentagon. Forget about Christmas carols in August and snow globes in September, nothing screams the holidays like that $187 order for wrapping paper. Which leads me to what I really wanted to say …
Read the rest of this entry »
View Comments | Link/Bookmark/Share
